Opps?
by Samayo Kaze
Summary: Gabriel has gotten himself into some strange situations before, but looking down at the winged human he knew that nothing was ever going to top this one. Things where about to get hectic. Possible time travel, dimension travel. No romance, they're just really close. "How did this even happen?" "How should I know, you're the archangel!"
1. A Sleepless Angel is an Unhappy Angel

"Speaking'

' _Thoughts'_

 _ **Dream**_

Gabriel sighed, running a hand through his still too short hair, and sunk deeper into his thoughts. 3 years. It had been 3 incredibly long years since he had stared down the barrel of a gun and lost. Spectacuritly. It was actually highly embarrassing and he is glad that the Winchester duo had not heard about it because he would never be able to live it down. Not that he had to worry about them finding out, after all only one other person knew about it, and she is not here. Would never be here. There where time when he doubted himself, doubted that any of it had been real, but he had changed to much for it to have all been fake. His thoughts turned to the crazy human that had unceremonially inserted him into her life despite not knowing the slightest thing about him. They had never even told each other their names, choosing instead to use a selection of nicknames. Gabriel was whatever she happened to want to call him that day and she was usually Baby. She had taken him in during his own stint of mortality and honestly both of them had been rather proud that he had managed to stay alive for almost 8 full years as a human before he had ended up getting himself killed. ' _Not for lack of trying, of course.'_ After a few weeks together they discovered that just about **everything** seemed out to get him. Gabriel had not thought it was possible to have worse luck than the Winchesters until then. _'It probably would've been hilarious if it hadn't been so continuous. I have so much first aid experience now, it's ridiculous. Still,_ ' he mussed, _'As good as they had gotten at repairing insane injuries_ (Who fucking shoves someone off a 4th story fire escape anyway?!) _there is a limit to be reached and apparently it was being shot in the chest.'_ And man did dying hurt, only for him to wake up back in Heaven as if none of it had ever happened. The first time he ran into another angel he almost suffered from a heart attack at seeing such freely displayed wings. Plus, his hair was so **short**! Neither of them had felt the need to cut his hair while he was human, so by the time he was killed it reached nearly his waist. Now is was cropped uncomfortably short and he was becoming increasingly twitchy not being able to distract himself with the long, black, locks. That had been a shocking change to go along with his morality. As a human, Gabriel had had thick, ink black, hair that had the terrible habit of collecting static not to mention how pale he had been. Seeing his reflection still caused several seconds of confusion. One of the things that had stayed with him after his death was the need for sleep. He only required a few hours of sleep a week, but he had quickly discovered that without those hours his Grace (And wasn't that still strange and thrilling and wonderful) started to go haywire and he had a terrible time concentrating. 'Just like right now,' he thought grumpily as loud yelling drew him out of his internal musings and back out into the meeting going on between the leading angels. Raphael is yelling again, but Gabriel felt way too exhausted to even make an attempt to understand him. These meetings had been going on for over two weeks' strait now and while that was actually fairly short to everyone else, Gabriel was about to reach his breaking point. He needed sleep desperately and besides these meetings should have already been over three days ago, but Raphael just had to keep stirring up trouble and delaying everything. He rubbed at his eyes as another voice rose up to join in with his 'brother's' as another argument started. As more voices rose up and the argument began to escalade, Gabriel felt the remaining shreds of his sanity and consequently his control over his Grace snap. Immediately his Grace exploded out of him, filling up the room like a blue tinged hurricane before dispersing slightly and settling around him in a bright gold haze. He glared figurative daggers at the standing angels who had been arguing loudly just seconds before. He stood slowly, turning his attempt to not just simply fall over into something dramatic. "That is enough," he spoke levelly, making sure to make eye contact with every angel who had been yelling. Most were unable to meet his eyes, though Raphael refused to look away, "We are not little children, so I would suggest we stop acting like we are." He moved slowly, flaring his wings out to help stay balanced. Reaching the exit, he turned back to add some extra bite to his words, "I have better things to do with my time then babysit squabbling fledglings." Leaving the building, he took a moment to back in that total burn moment, before practically sprinting to the strange piece of Heaven he had picked out to sleep in. He silently slipped into the secluded area after checking that no one was following him. He let loose a relieved sigh as he slunk down underneath the old brick bridge and practically collapsed into the pile of blankets that he uses as a bed/nest/thing. He unfurled and fluffed up his wings for the warmth and snuggle factor before succumbing to his exhaustion.

 _ **His back was pressed firmly against the brick wall, his breathing quiet, as he peaked carefully around the corner. Pulling back, he shot Baby a wide smile as he nodded to her. At his nod her eyes lit up and they both drew their blades. He looked down at his and took a moment to shift it into something more suitable for throwing. The two silently left the alleyway and separated to approach a group of shady individuals who had been searching for them from separate directions. Stepping out into the open, his eyes narrowed as the men stiffened and drew weapons of their own. He makes sure that his own blade is hidden from them as he allows himself to be partially surrounded while she crept up behind them. They struck together; easily disarming, flipping, and restraining men twice their weight. Some movement on his left had him shoving his friend hard out of the way as a gun sounded loudly. He allowed gravity and his moment to drag him down backwards, twisting sharply, and sending his blade flying with a flick of his wrist. The blade struck true, he knew without looking as he pushed himself off the ground. Standing, he saw that his partner had already knocked the would be assassin out and was tying him up. He reached out as he approached the unconscious man and pulled his blade from its current resting place in the man's shoulder. She gave him an impressed look as he wiped the blood from the blade. It had been buried up to the cross-guard. Sirens sounded in the distance and the two of them shared a 'time to go' look as they slipped back into the alleyway and took off down the twisting paths that even a map could not help you to navigate. Sending her a smirk, he used a stack of empty crates to jump up and grab a hold of a drainage pipe and haul himself up onto the ledge that ran along the bottom of the windows. He snickered at her disgruntled expression as he ran along the ledge that marked the fifth level of the building he was on. Laughing openly, he watched as she accepted his unspoken challenge and ran even faster. Upon reaching the end of the building he was on, he smiled breathlessly as he launched himself off of the one building and flipped mid-jump before landing gently on the roof of the next. When he reached the curve in their previously determined path, he slowed down and dropped onto the fire escape below him. As soon as his feet touched the rusty metal, his senses went haywire and he dug his heels into the platform. The fire escape groaned at the sudden movement and with a loud snap the panel between him and the stairs gave way. His pale face grew even paler and a metallic squeak from behind him was the only warning he had as hands shoved him hard and sent him soaring over the low railing and plummeting towards the pavement. He tried to twist and land somewhere non-life threatening, but he was falling to fast. All he could do was watch as the ground rocketed up to meet him, closing his eyes in the last seconds before impact.**_

Hands grabbed at him, and he jerked away in his sleepy haze. Panic really set in when the movement tangled his blankets around him. He struggled blindly against the restraints even as he started to fully wake up.

"-riel! Gabriel, calm down!" He stilled, needing a few moments to understand how this person knew his true name before remembering where he was. Right, he had died. He was in Heaven. "Gabriel?" He blinked and focused on the worried faces in front of him.

"Balthazar? Castiel?" he croaked out hesitantly, not sure if he wanted to be right or wrong. In the 3 years since he had been back in Heaven, he had never seen either one of the concerned angels still holding on to him. He had even gone looking for them, when he could. Out of all of his siblings, he had missed these two the most.

"Yes," Castiel answered in that dry, strait forwards, way of his and Gabriel nearly cried. He had missed them so much. Trembling slightly, which he would latter deign, he reached out and pulled the younger angels into a firm hug. Bringing his wings up and wrapping them around all three of them, Gabriel relished in having most of his chosen little family together again. Pulling back eventually, he took a deep breath and allowed his wings to fade back out of view.

How did you find me," he asked in a resigned tone, already trying to figure out where he was going to sleep now that this spot had been discovered.

"We asked," Balthazar told him, the little smart ass, one eyebrow arched at the archangel's rumpled and ridiculous appearance as poor Cassie nodded seriously. 'They are so adorable,' Gabriel thought, more than just a little exasperated.

"Asked who, Balthazar, because I take special care not to be followed to this place." The younger angel shifted uncomfortably and the two shared a look before Cassie answered instead,

"We asked Father." Gabriel stared uncomprehendingly back, because **really**? **Father** told them?

"Really," he asked in disbelief, not that their Father had spoken to them because it was obvious to Gabriel at least that Cassie was one of Daddy's favorites, but that Father would give away his sanctuary's location like that. Even if it was to his favorite brothers. "Why? What is so important that you asked Father to find me?" The two shared another look and it was starting to make Gabriel feel a little uncomfortable when Balthazar grimaced and gave him the bad news,

"Michael is looking for you. You have been acting differently lately, very different, and there are some who are trying to use that against you. Apparently after you walked out of the meetings, nice one by the way, Raphael convinced him that something is wrong with you. Now the whole situation has snowballed into Michael believing that you might be working against Heaven." Gabriel felt himself stiffen because, ' _Oh shit!"_ He had thought he was doing fairly well with the whole blend in with the angels thing, but apparently he had slipped up somehow.

"How long," he asked faintly, already fearing the answer, and Cassie's flinch told him everything he needed to know.

"Almost a week now," Balthazar told him seriously and Gabriel ran his finger through his hair as he tried to figure out how on earth he was going to get himself out of this one.

"Shit," he murmured weakly as he heard voices approaching their location. Looking at the younger and much less powerful angels in front of him, Gabriel quickly came to a decision, "Right, you two get out of here and head to wherever this thing is going to go down. I'll go show myself somewhere else and then get dragged in. Don't let anyone know that you've seen me."

"We are not that stupid, Gabriel," Balthazar gave him an unimpressed look and grabbed onto Cassie's arm to drag the confused younger angel away. Gabriel waited several minutes before zapping himself into the angel version of a main square. In no time at all he was standing in a hall with Michael staring at him, a large gathering of angels hovering at the edges. Raphael was also there, standing next to Michael, and Gabriel glared at him before he realized that that was probably a bad idea. Biting on the inside of his cheek, Gabriel shifted himself out of his more human mindset the best he could and instead drew on his Trickster personality. He was going to need it if he was going to talk himself out of this mess. Smiling at his older brother, Gabriel materialized his wings and stretched them out fully before starting in on the situation,

"Hey Michael, I heard you have been looking for me, so what's up?" He made certain to completely ignore Raphael, if the little brat wanted to tattle on him like a snot nosed brat then he was going to be treated like one. Michael frowned and Gabriel steeled himself for the trouble about to rain down on him.

"It has come to my attention that you have been behaving strangely," Michael intoned and Gabriel had to suppress a snort, "I have become worried about what might be affecting you so strongly." The urge to respond by yelling and stomping off struck him so strongly that Gabriel actually flinched, his brow furrowing at the unusual feelings. With every word Michael said, he felt more and more irrational and he was starting to become really worried. If he could not keep it together then he was going to end up in a whole heap of trouble. Suddenly, a shockwave rocketed through his soul, causing him to curl inwards. His breaths came in bursts as he struggled to calm his agitated Grace.

"See! I told you he was unstable," Raphael exclaimed as Gabriel forced his Grace back into submission. Straitening back up, Gabriel gave the other archangel the dirtiest glare that he possibly could and watched with satisfaction as Raphael faltered. A second shockwave struck him, and Gabriel felt his heart stop as he realized what the feeling was. He froze, his eyes wide as his soul responded to the summons from another, equally powerful soul calling out solely for him.


	2. Oh, God, Why?

"Talking"

' _Thoughts'_

"What is it, what is the matter Gabriel," Michael questioned with concern as Gabriel stiffened again, a hand moving up to grasp tightly to an area on the right side of his chest across from his heart. Gabriel barely heard him over the sound of a heartbeat ringing in his ears. There was another tug on his soul as someone he had never thought he would meet again called him to her.

"I-I have to go," he muttered in a dazed manner as he turned to move **as fast as possible** to the location the tugging was coming from. Michael's voice brought him back to the present,

"You are not going anywhere alone," the elder angel denied firmly. Gabriel bit back the snarl that wanted to tear loose as he felt yet another tug, this time more insistent.

"Fine," he growled lowly as he stocked towards the door and added darkly, "I'll take Castiel with me. I trust him." Dimly he noted that Cassie seemed uncomfortable at being singled out like that, but he was far too focused on finding the location the tugs were coming from to care. "Follow me," he told the younger angel a bit more gently then he really wanted to before flying to a large warehouse that the signal appeared to originate from. Hitting the ground with a roll as he landed incorrectly due to his haste and being slightly rusty, he bolted medially into the open warehouse and disregarded that fact that he could just **feel** the angel banishing sigils all throughout the walls.

"Where are you?" He called out into the main open space within the large warehouse. There was a slight echo that faded back into silence. "Baby," he called questioningly. In response, an image of a back storage room burst into his head accompanied by a loud, _'I'm back here!'_ that echoed in his mind. Shaking his head, Gabriel set off down the correct hallway that led to the back room she had shown him. "Baby," he called again, this time receiving a vocal response.

"Down here," she called from behind a large wall of stacked cardboard boxes. Moving around the stack, he stopped and stared open-mouthed at the younger woman sitting calmly on the ground with giant, coal colored wings lying awkwardly on either side.

"W-w-w-what?" he managed to stutter out, unable to look away from the enormous feathered appendages that had apparently decided to spontaneously grown from his, oddly enough, still human friend.

"They're wings, Angel," she teased him snarkily, "You of all people should know that." Gabriel blinked rapidly as he tried to kick him brain back into action. Despite how ridiculous **she** looked on the floor, she seemed unusually comfortable as she laughed silently at the look on the Archangel's face. Her smile sipped into a wary look as she felt someone else make their way towards their position. "Angel," she warned as she attempted to scoot backwards to get more cover only to flinch as the motion pulled painfully on her new wings. Her flinched pulled his focus back into the present and Gabriel quickly reached out with his 'mojo', as the human in front of him called his abilities, in order to identify who was coming. As soon as he connected to the other person's soul, he relaxed and moved instead to reassure his slightly paranoid friend.

"Don't worry, it's only Cassie. I trust him," he told her as he carefully maneuvered around the boxes and her giant wings to crouch next to her. Her head jerked towards him with a crack that made him wince internally,

"Your brother Cassie," she questioned frightfully serious. He pulled back away from her slightly, and looked down at her—confused by her sudden change of attitude.

"Well, yeah," he said slowly, "Unless you know of a different angel named Castiel." He watched with a growing worry as she tensed and her eyes got wide. "Baby," he asked, confused.

"I'm in your world," she said faintly, not looking at him, "holy shit." Gabriel's brows furrowed as he moved to put a concerned hand on her shoulder before she suddenly glared daggers at him. "You son of a bitch, you got me killed!" She accused him, feeling betrayed.

"Hey now," he complained, "let's not make any rash accusations. I certainly don't **remember** getting you killed and no," he cut her off before she could open her mouth, "I didn't bring you here either. Whatever happened wasn't because of something I did." She started to reply, but before she could say anything Castiel entered the room and she cut herself off.

"Gabriel," the much younger angel called out uncertainly as he hovered around the door.

"Down here Castiel," he called out as he shifted unconsciously to block most of her from view. Or would have, if she had not somehow managed to grow two massive new appendages that probably each out-weighed her. Castiel wandered around the maze of boxes only to stop and make a strange chocking noise as soon as he caught sight of the winged girl flopped unceremoniously behind Gabriel. Gabriel flinched as he watched his baby brother's eyes flick between him and the partially hidden woman behind him. Said woman was decisively not helping anything as she leaned back so that Castiel could see her face.

"Hi, your Castiel right? I've heard a lot about you, mostly good things even. You're one of Angel's favorites you know. It's great to finally meet you," she shot off as if there was absolutely nothing unusual about this entire situation. Gabriel glared down at her, a pout fixed on his face as she steamrolled right over him.

"W-w-w-w-h-h-h-h-wh-who?" Poor Castiel managed to squeak out, looking like he was about to faint. She smiled pleasantly up at the younger angel and Gabriel gave up and just buried his face in his hands, ' _Oh, this is not going to end well.'_

"The name's Faida," She, _Faida_ he reminded himself, continued obliviously as if she had not just seen Gabriel give their signal for 'Oh God, why?' Upon seeing both angels give her a 'what the Hell" look—not that they would call it that—she explained, "It's Icelandic, means 'wings that are folded' which is far more ironic now then it was two hours ago," she trailed off thoughtfully, tugging gently on one of her wings. Gabriel just sighed, having learned about 30 minutes into their strange relationship that Faida, as she had apparently decided to go by now, did pretty much whatever she wanted. _'Still,'_ he thought worriedly, _'Those wings are going to give her massive amounts of trouble if we can't get them taken care of.'_ Reaching out, Gabriel stilled his hand a few inches from the nearest part of Faida's left wing when he remembered that he should probably ask for permission first. Glancing up and meeting inquisitive storm colored eyes, he raised an eyebrow with the silent question and in response she smiled and managed to twitch the wing high enough that it connected with his hand. Upon contact, both of them froze and looked at each other with wide eyes. After taking a deep breath, Gabriel carefully ran his hands across the feathery wing—taking in the differences it had to one of his own. "I take it this isn't what mine felt like to you," he noted as he looked back up at Faida.

"No," she agreed worry evident in her eyes if not her voice, "Your's were a lot less substantial. Are a lot less substantial, I guess," she trailed off as she looked over his shoulders to where his wings would have been, "Woah, when did you get more?" Looking over his shoulders, Gabriel frowned as he realized that he did not have his wings out,

"What do you mean, 'get more'? Are you saying you can see my wings?" Faida snorted at him and rolled her eyes,

"Duh I can see your wings, I swear Angel, we've already had this conversation once before." She looked at his wings again and smiled slightly, "at least the color's still the same." Gabriel, meanwhile, was attempting to push back the mini panic attack that always seemed to happen whenever someone brought up his wings.

"Okay," he managed finally—pulling Faida to her feet and holding her steady as she struggled to find her balance with all the extra weight, "what we are going to do is take you up to Heaven, and hope someone there has some answers for us, because I certainly don't know anything about any of this. Grab onto those boxes." After making sure that Faida had a good grip, he let go of her in order to grab a hold of her left wing and begin the complicated process of folding it up. "Castiel, go fold up her other wing," he ordered, preoccupied by the limp wing already in his hands. Eventually, the two angels managed to fold the wings up completely and Faida wrapped an arm around each of them to help with balance and as to not pull on anything. "Okay," Gabriel told his self-adopted human and angelic siblings, "I'll zap all three of us back upstairs, so don't worry about doing anything except hanging on Cassie. I have more than enough power to do both that and fry the sigils. Faida," and he stopped and looked down at her with a smirk, "Close your eyes and get ready to see Heaven." Faida snorted at the stupid joke, but tightened her grip on him. "Alright, in 3, 2, 1!" There was a raise in temperature as Gabriel burned out the sigils with his Grace before the three of them disappeared from the room in a bright flash.


	3. It Runs in the Family

"Speaking"

"3, 2, 1!"

The light from his Grace receded as the three of them landed safely, if a bit unsteadily, back in the hall he and Cassie had rushed from earlier. Faida wobbled, and Gabriel belatedly remembered that she had never flown before, but she merely tightened her hold on the two angels and steadied herself. The hall had somewhat cleared out by now, though just how long they had been gone Gabriel did not know, but Raphael and Michael had not yet moved. When the three of them appeared, Raphael wasted no time making Gabriel look even worse,

"How dare you return here after running off without permission." He paused in shock as he got a look at Faida's obviously still human soul—which was another thing they were going to have to figure out—and continued angrily, "And you brought some abomination back with you! Have you no respect for our Father's commands? You should have slaughtered it the instant you discovered it!" Gabriel's head snapped up from where he had been checking to make sure that its sudden transfer to his dimension had not damaged Faida's soul and glared, a growl rumbling deep in his chest. His wings arched up protectively as he snarled ferally at Raphael, a burst of wild energy from his time as Loki accompanying the noise. The other archangel paled and pulled back, eyeing his brother warily. Faida looked up at Gabriel in concern, letting go of his waist in order to rub soothingly on what little of his back she could reach. Michael and Cassie both frowned, though Cassie was more worried **for** him then **about** him and Gabriel felt a little touched at the trust the much younger angel had in him. He closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down enough to stop growling, focusing instead on the familiar hand on his back in order to ground himself.

Unexpectedly, her hand brushed an area right in between his middle set of wings and he stiffened as an unfamiliar feeling brushed against his soul before practically melting when Faida pushed a little harder and he recognized the feeling as a part of her soul. The feeling reminded him slightly of an angel's Grace, but was darker somehow. It contained a hidden inner strength that was overshadowed by a loving warmth that he had last felt with his Father. Distantly, he realized that she always had sort of reminded him of a healer, a caregiver. He purred appreciatively, his wings vanishing, and her laugh rumbled through his head in response. The pressure eased, but she thankfully did not remove her hand as Gabriel blinked rapidly and tried to remember what he had been doing before.

"Wings, Angel," Faida reminded him gently as she tried to shift the enormous wing in his arms, "What do I do with these wings?" _'Right. Wings.'_ He focused back up at Michael, who had left Raphael and now stood only a few feet away.

"Right, wings. We need to know how she got a pair, and why." Gabriel paused before tacking on, "Oh, and how she managed to get here at all would be great to know too." He felt incredibly off balance and nearly fell as one of his knees gave out underneath him. Faida quickly grabbed a hold of him again, partially to help support him and partially because the movement had pulled painfully on her wing. Michael quickly reached out as well, and caught the younger Archangel by the shoulder to help steady him.

Gabriel winced, his chest tightening up painfully, and gently lowered the wing he held to the floor with a grimace. "Ah," he huffed out, rubbing hard on his chest to try and displace the pain. He stayed down near the floor, eyes closed and free hand braced against the ground, and focused on his shallow breathing. His ears rang, heart beat drowning out all other sounds. A soothing feeling crept through him, beginning from his back, and Gabriel sighed as the pain in his chest faded again. Opening his eyes, he looked up to see both Cassie and Michael crouched down in front of him—both concerned. A quick glance found that Raphael hadn't moved yet, still watching Gabriel warily.

Panting slightly, Gabriel smiled warmly at his brothers (Aw, Michael **does** still care) before twisting around to reach Faida, who had been supporting him from behind, and lovingly kissing her on the cheek. He then rested his forehead against hers and she reached up to wrap her arms loosely around his neck just like they used to before they had been separated. Gabriel had never realized just how much he had missed his wonderful partner in crime until that moment. They were **family** , and him being an archangel now didn't change that.

Pulling away, Gabriel turned his attention to Faida's magnificent wings that lay awkwardly on the ground. "Hey, I have an idea! Lay down on your stomach," he told her as he pushed gently on her head. Moving around her, he started pulling, shifting, and straightening until the entire wing was fully stretched out on the floor. He quickly scooted over and did the same for the second wing, marveling secretly at how soft the feathers were. When he finished, Gabriel was surprised by just how enormous her wings truly were. From tip to tip, Faida's wings nearly brushed both sides of the hall. He whistled at the massive wingspan while mentally trying to figure out how she was going to move around with them. Michael was equally surprised.

"Impressive," he commented, and Gabriel turned to him to see Michael mentally comparing Faida's wings to his own behemoth set.

"Very impressive," Gabriel agreed with a nod, having already made the same comparison with his wings and coming up short. Her wings were far bigger than even his largest set by several feet, though his were thicker and more masculine. Faida pushed herself up unto her elbows, arching her back so that she could see what the three angels surrounding her were doing. She watched for several minutes as they looked at her wings before ticking an eyebrow at them,

"What?" She asked finally, and Gabriel jerked slightly as he came back from his thoughts. Blinking rapidly, he laughed at the sight, her head tilted and eyebrow raised. She really **had** spent far too much time with him. Instead of replying, Gabriel moved and plopped himself down in front of Faida, mirroring her position before closing his eyes and focusing for a few seconds until his Grace rippled and all three sets of his wings manifested, erupting from his back in a flurry of golden feathers. Always happy to stretch them out, he laid his own wings out on the floor and watched as her second eyebrow rose to join its twin in surprise. His smallest set was just barely longer than half of her wings, and as an Archangel he has one of the most impressive sets in Heaven. Gabriel smiled at the amazingly unflappable human in front of him. Here she was in Heaven in front of three of the Archangels, and she was completely calm. He closed the distance between them so that he could rub his cheek against hers before laying his largest set of wings on top of Faida's. He could feel the embarrassment erupt from Cassie at the incredibly intimate gesture. Touching wings like this was one of the most serious and trusting things to do and done nearly solely by mated angels. Gabriel didn't particularly care. (Ha! Story of his existence) There was nothing romantic between Faida and him—they were practically twins—but he also wanted everyone else to know how important she was to him. Something like this would leave a mark on both of them, declaring that they were connected. He had never chosen a mate—his duty as God's messenger made it unrealistic and after he left it was no longer even an option—but Gabriel had found himself wanting to mark, and in return be marked by, his closest friend for the last several years they spent together. Now that he was finally able to, he wasn't going to miss the opportunity. A feeling of peace settled onto him, and Gabriel purred softly—feeling truly content for the first time in a very long time. His family was together and safe and he felt something deep inside that he hadn't even known was tense relax slowly. Eyes closed in order to enjoy the feeling, Gabriel heard Faida chuckle as she reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. It felt absolutely amazing and he barely heard the alarming noises from both Cassie and Michael. He blinked slowly, turning his head slightly so that he could see his brothers without pulling away from that wonderful hand. He calmly took in the surprised look on Michael's face, eyes wide and jaw dropped just slightly, and the worry and horror etched into Cassie's. Looking down at himself, his brain stuttered to a stop and he stared blankly at the soft golden glow surrounding him. Cassie made more alarmed, panicking, noises and Faida chuckled warmly at him.

"Breathe, Castiel," she instructed gently, "take deep breaths." The young angel obeyed faintly, staring with great concern at Gabriel. Michael, on the other hand, was overjoyed after getting over his surprise and full of love and awe for the youngest Archangel that he had helped raise.

"Oh, Gabriel," he breathed softly, moving closer until he was crouched down in front of the glowing Archangel. Gabriel tore his eyes from the glow to hesitantly meet his oldest brother's gaze. The love and joy on Michael's face was a bit surprising, but mostly Gabriel was just relieved and he smiled brightly as he laughed breathlessly. Glowing, he was glowing. A glow like this is the ultimate sign of joy and contentment. It had been several millennia since the angels had been able to produce a glow. When their Father left, he left behind a giant hole in the angels' hearts and they had lost the ability to be truly at peace. Even the mated angels could rarely produce a glow anymore. After abandoning Heaven, Gabriel had given up any hope of ever glowing again, but here he was lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Hmmm," Faida hummed as she poked and prodded at his Grace through their bond, no doubt attempting to understand this new development in her friend. Tugging gently, she swirled together their souls and used his feelings and emotions to kick-start her own faint glow. Her glow was much darker, a see-through shadow hovering about her in a striking contrast to his own golden glow. Humming himself, Gabriel started his own investigation by reaching out with his Grace to rub against her own before threading the two together to weave their souls closer. Poor Cassie started to make very concerning noises again so Gabriel reluctantly pulled away, leaving the Grace tethering their souls in place. The younger angel was beet red and couldn't seem to decide if the celling or the floor was more interesting to look at. Michael had a knowing look in his eyes—like he understood that whoever this strange girl his baby brother brought home is, she is the reason for Gabriel's glow and thus unquestioningly welcome. Gabriel was just happy no one was causing extra trouble at the moment. For the first time since Lucifer had been cast out, everything was finally, finally, okay in Heaven again. Even if it **was** only for a moment.


End file.
